Reduced unit database generation based on cost information
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- determining a desired size of a reduced unit database for text to speech operations;
generating the reduced unit database of the desired size based on a full unit data base in order to minimize an overall cost in using the units in the reduced unit database to accomplish the text to speech operations; and
performing the text to speech operations using the reduced unit database with respect to every sentence in a text database using units selected from the full unit database, wherein units are selected so that a cost of using the selected units to achieve text to speech is minimized;
computing a unit selection cost associated with each of the sentences in the text database; and
pruning the units that are selected during the text to speech operations based on the unit selection costs to produce the reduced unit database, wherein said pruning comprises;
initializing the reduced unit database using the units selected during the text to speech operations performed with respect to the sentences in the text database;
determining an a cost increase induced when a next unit in the reduced unit database is made unavailable for unit selection based text to speech operations;
retaining the next unit in the reduced unit database if the cost increase satisfies at least one pruning criterion; and
repeating said determining and said removing until at least one condition is satisfied.
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Abstract
An arrangement is provided for generating a reduced unit database of a desired size to be used in text to speech operations. A reduced unit database with a desired size is generated based on a full unit database. The reduction is carried out with respect to a text database with a plurality of sentences. Units from the full database are pruned to minimize an overall cost associated with using alternative units other than the units in the reduced unit database.
50 Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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determining a desired size of a reduced unit database for text to speech operations;
generating the reduced unit database of the desired size based on a full unit data base in order to minimize an overall cost in using the units in the reduced unit database to accomplish the text to speech operations; and
performing the text to speech operations using the reduced unit database with respect to every sentence in a text database using units selected from the full unit database, wherein units are selected so that a cost of using the selected units to achieve text to speech is minimized;
computing a unit selection cost associated with each of the sentences in the text database; and
pruning the units that are selected during the text to speech operations based on the unit selection costs to produce the reduced unit database, wherein said pruning comprises;
initializing the reduced unit database using the units selected during the text to speech operations performed with respect to the sentences in the text database;
determining an a cost increase induced when a next unit in the reduced unit database is made unavailable for unit selection based text to speech operations;
retaining the next unit in the reduced unit database if the cost increase satisfies at least one pruning criterion; and
repeating said determining and said removing until at least one condition is satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method to generate a reduced unit database based on a full unit database, comprising:
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performing text to speech operations with respect to every sentence in a text database using units selected from the full unit database, wherein units are selected so that the cost of using the selected units to achieve text to speech is minimized;
computing a unit selection cost associated with each of the sentences in the text database; and
pruning the units that are selected during the text to speech operations based on the unit selection costs to produce the reduced unit database;
wherein said pruning comprises;
initializing the reduced unit database using the units selected during the text to speech operations performed with respect to the sentences in the text database;
determining a cost increase induced when a next unit in the reduced unit database Is made unavailable for unit selection based text to speech operations;
retaining the next unit in the reduced unit database if the cost increase satisfies at least one pruning criterion; and
repeating said determining and said removing until at least one condition is satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system, comprising:
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a unit database reduction mechanism capable of generating a reduced unit database of a desired size from a full unit database based on cost information; and
a text to speech mechanism capable of performing text to speech operations using the reduced unit database;
wherein the unit database reduction mechanism comprises;
a text database including a plurality of sentences; and
a cost-based subset unit generation mechanism capable of pruning the full unit database to generate the reduced unit database using cost information associated with unit selection in carrying out text to speech operations with respect to the plurality of sentences in the text database using a unit pruning mechanism capable of pruning the units selected from the full unit database to produce the reduced unit database according to the cost associated with each of the sentences and at least one pruning criterion, wherein the unit pruning mechanism further comprises;a cost increase estimation mechanism capable of estimating a cost increase related to a pruned unit, the cost increase being induced when the pruned unit is made unavailable for unit selection during text to speech operations; and
a cost increase based pruning mechanism capable of determining whether the pruned unit is to be removed according to the cost increase and the at least one pruning criterion. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A unit database reduction mechanisms, comprising:
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a text database including a plurality of sentences;
a full unit database; and
a cost based subset unit generation mechanism capable of pruning the full unit database to produce a reduced unit database using cost information related to unit selection in carrying out text to speech operations with respect to the plurality of sentences in the text database wherein the cost based subset unit generation mechanism comprises;
a unit selection based text to speech mechanism capable of selecting units from the full unit database with respect to the sentences in the text database and producing a cost associated with each of the sentences; and
a unit pruning mechanism capable of pruning the units selected from the full unit database to produce the reduced unit database, wherein the unit pruning mechanism comprises;
a cost increase estimation mechanism capable of estimating a cost increase related to a pruned unit, the cost increase being induced when the pruned unit is made unavailable for unit selection during text to speech operations; and
a cost increase based pruning mechanism capable of determining whether the pruned unit is to be removed according to the cost increase and the at least one pruning criterion. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An article comprising a storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in the following:
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determining a desired size of a reduced unit database for text to speech operations;
generating the reduced unit database of the desired size based on a full unit database, wherein the reduced unit database is generated to minimize an overall cost in using the units in the reduced unit database to accomplish the text to speech operations; and
performing the text to speech operations using the reduced unit database, wherein said generating the reduced unit database comprises;
performing text to speech operations with respect to every sentence in a text database using units selected from the full unit database, wherein units are selected so that the cost of using the selected units to achieve text to speech is minimized;
computing a unit selection cost associated with each of the sentences in the text database;
pruning the units that are selected during the text to speech operations based on the unit selection costs to produce the reduced unit database;
wherein said pruning comprises;
initializing the reduced unit database using the units selected during the text to speech operations performed with respect to the sentences in the text database;
determining a cost increase induced when a next unit in the reduced unit database is made unavailable for unit selection based text to speech operations;
retaining the next unit in the reduced unit database if the cost increase satisfies at least one pruning criterion; and
repeating said determining and said removing until at least one condition is satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An article comprising a storage medium having stored thereon instructions for generating a reduced unit database based on a full unit database that, when executed result in:
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performing text to speech operations with respect to every sentence in a text database using units selected from the full unit database, wherein units are selected so that a cost of using the selected units to achieve text to speech is minimized;
computing a unit selection cost associated with each of the sentences in the text database; and
pruning the units that are selected during the text to speech operations based on the unit selection costs to produce the reduced unit database;
wherein said pruning comprises;
initializing the reduced unit database using the units selected during the text to speech operations performed with respect to the sentences in the text database;
determining a cost increase induced when a next unit in the reduced unit database is made unavailable for unit selection based text to speech operations;
retaining the next unit in the reduced unit database if the cost increase satisfies at least one pruning criterion; and
repeating said determining and said removing until at least one condition is satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification